Courts / Dublin / Report

Driver guilty of causing death of father of two

Summary

Michael Jones, a 24‑year‑old roofer from Whitestown Drive, was found guilty of dangerous driving causing the death of Hong Qing Qu, a father of two, at Blanchardstown Road South on 17 November 2015. Jones drove an Audi A3 that broke a red light at a speed estimated between 115 km/h and 137 km/h, well above the 60 km/h limit, and collided with Qu's Mitsubishi Colt. The collision occurred around 1 am near the top of a slip road close to Blanchardstown shopping centre. Witnesses described the Audi's occupants being dragged from the vehicle and placed in a Volkswagen Passat after the crash. Qu was found in the passenger seat of his own car, choking on his blood, and later died. The jury returned a guilty verdict after just over two and a half hours of deliberation. Judge Patricia Ryan remanded Jones to custody and set a sentencing date for 14 January of the following year. Michael Jones pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Driver guilty of causing death of father of two. Charges or matters: dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Qu at Blanchardstown Road South on November 17, 2015. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• November 17, 2015 Incident
• January 14 Adjournment
• 2018-12-19 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Road Traffic Stage Trial

Related court reports

• Murderer argues he was 'out of control' following Christmas Eve steakhouse shooting
• State drops all charges against double killer Derek Boyd's partner
• Driver who switched off headlights in effort to evade gardai fails in sentence appeal
• Derek Boyd now a double killer as jury finds him of guilty of murder
• Murder accused's previous conviction for manslaughter of sister can only be used if relevant, judge charges jury
• Not a 'shred of evidence' that Derek Boyd's girlfriend knew nature of injury to deceased man, defence tell trial

Read the original CNI report